What began on Monday with three abortion abolitionists demonstrating on the sidewalk in front of the school, grew into a more pronounced display Thursday, with at least two dozen students predominantly opposed to the abolitionists message gathering next to the protesters.

“I think it is unnecessary, you should do it somewhere that there is influence, not at a school,” sophomore Rachel Guo said. “At a school you can’t do anything about it, it is all kids.”

But for The Abolitionist Society of Little Elm, that’s exactly who they are trying to reach as the group has been sent in front of other schools in the district already this year, including Wakeland, Heritage, Frisco, Reedy, and Independence.

“The high schools we think are a good target audience; a lot of pregnancies happen in high school,” abortion abolitionist Kimberlee Tringali said. “We just want to make sure that besides the education you are getting in the public school system, you’re also getting health education as well.”

While in front of the school, the abortion abolitionists have been displaying signs featuring graphic images, which prompted principal Scott Warstler to send an email to parents Wednesday evening that said in part:

“There are a few people holding signs that are very graphic in nature and may not be appropriate for younger children. If you have young children with you at drop off or pick up, please take this into consideration.”

With Thursday’s crowd the biggest of the week, Frisco ISD Director of Security Kevin Haller, School Resource Officer Glen Hubbard and Warstler spent part of the morning amongst the protesters.

“As long as they stay on sidewalks and on public access, we don’t have the ability to go and ask them to move,” Warstler said. “If they were to step on campus, if they were to follow students into the parking lot, then we absolutely have the ability to go ask them to leave. And even when we ask them to leave, all that really means is that they’ll go back to the sidewalk.”

Featuring mostly students, Thursday’s crowd also saw several parents joining in on the demonstrations.

“For me as a parent, to defend the rights of my wife and my daughters,” parent Kenneth Landauro said. “It’s very important to me, they have their own choice, they have the right to make their own decisions.”

Protected by the First Amendment, one of the protesters told Wingspan that Friday is the last day they expect to be in front of the school, but other students have reported the abortion abolitionists have said they intend to be there until the end of the school year on June 2.

“Do I like it? No. Is there a concern? No,” Warstler said. “As long as our students don’t go out there and do something stupid, then there’s no concern about them being there. Would I prefer that they not, yes, but again that’s one of those things that they have every right to do it.”

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